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This is so sad. Reminds me of the recent incident that took place in Bali. Makes me wonder whether a volcano can ever truly be called extinct.

The eruption in Guatemala must be what Mt. St. Helen's eruption was like, in WA State. Maybe Mt. St. Helens was worse. Pyroclastic flows, ash covering everything, a dead zone of vegetation down the mountain--a ring of dead vegetation, IIRC.

How many volcanoes does Guatemala have? 13 I think? 3 on Lake Atitlan alone, and the lake itself is in a collapsed volcano cone.

The eruption in Guatemala must be what Mt. St. Helen's eruption was like, in WA State. Maybe Mt. St. Helens was worse. Pyroclastic flows, ash covering everything, a dead zone of vegetation down the mountain--a ring of dead vegetation, IIRC.

How many volcanoes does Guatemala have? 13 I think? 3 on Lake Atitlan alone, and the lake itself is in a collapsed volcano cone.

Yup. The 1980 My. St. Helen's eruption was one of the most notorious ones of recent years. The whole Pacific Ring of Fire is incredibly volatile as are areas surrounding it.
One of the most terrifying events that I read about, though not an eruption, was the Lituya Bay megatsunami of 1958. A wave that was over 500m tall.. Luckily there were no casualties as the event took place in a remote area.

This guy was driving in the Mixco section of Guatemala City in the middle of 'volcanic ash rain.'

The main airport in Guatemala was shutdown due to the heavy 'volcanic ash rain.' In this video from yesterday it says flights were resumed by 9AM yesterday, but some irregularities still occur (flight cancellations) and all airplanes landing at La Aurora International Airport will have to shut down their engines as soon as the planes stop on the runway and they will be towed to their gates by special vehicles. I guess this is a way of protecting the turbines from damage due to too much ashes getting sucked in.

I feel very bad for the people there. I visited a few years ago, and the country side is very pretty.

Did they not get a 72 hour warning to get out of dodge? I know El Salvador has a system in place. I wonder if this eruption is linked to what is occurring in Hawaii. From what i have read, the volcano that share the same lines usually hit in unison. This is way worse than what is happening in Hawaii. I read the eruption was flowing like 60 mph. The entire country is being covered by it makes it a Major catastrophe, possible sinking the entire country into ruin. Mierda!

I live in a country where 100-million people live in areas that are at risk at any moment of a volcanic eruption. They have nowhere else to build. There was one a month or two ago, where residents were evacuated.

Why do millions of Americans live with an even more dangerous tornado risk in Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Chicago?

For the rural indigenous people in Guatemala, the last thing they need is for the government to come in and force them all to leave their homes and their land and resettle elsewhere, because a volcano might erupt in the next thousand years or so.

Comparing living in a small country with a Volcano of over large areas of Earthquake faults .... to at some risk for a tornado? Is a bit ridicules. Virtually anywhere in the US can get a tornado. Tornado alley id in the central part of the Nation.

Tornados again can happen anywhere and not you know ground zero for one like a permanent volcano and earthquake fault-line vs a weather-event very mobile and from severe storms usually.

Chicago's last tornado was 2006 It was a "dustspout" kind and did no damage. That was the first in nearly a decade before that one. Cook county as Chicago is in and a good portion of its suburbs had 54 tornados in as many years reported. Most little or no damage and very limited.

Millions live in whole Nations over earthquake faults and most will experience a couple more major one in there lifetimes. Volcanoes also like Guatemala. These are not seasonal random weather events.

Why do millions endure winters of sub-freezing temps for weeks and months where you can freeze to death if no shelter? That you can't avoid on half the planet.

Just thought to link a random limited weather phenomena to a volcanic eruption of multitude? Was strange. If you said in say California over major earthquake area too as volcanic regions are art of? Then I'd see the link.

In the US I'm sure they are monitoring the Volcano of Yosemite National Park. That has a potential for a catastrophic event. But not heavily populated near it but Nation-wide and beyond.

Whether in Japan , Philippines or California .... there is no escaping a big one when it comes and tsunami risk then but for higher areas or inland.

Over 100 people have died and many more missing, it's really depressing...

Damn, the Kaqchikel Mayans seemed to have got hit the hardest

They are a resilient people though, so I can only hope for the best for all of them and the rest of Guatemala.

Luckily my elderly grandparents and cousins live outside of the affected areas.

What part of Guatemala are you from Yaxkan?

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